Posted on 01/28/2024 12:19:14 PM PST by Dr. Marten
RENO, Nev. (KOLO/Gray News) - A highway patrolman in Nevada says he feels betrayed by his department after his K-9 partner was taken away from him.
Just weeks ago, Trooper Christopher Garcia was celebrating his K-9 partner’s fourth birthday.
K-9 Nala was a narcotics detection canine who had been Garcia’s partner for the last two years.
Garcia was her first handler.
“She’s a huge daddy’s girl. I just love her,” he said. “She’s part of the family. Off duty she’s with me, she’s just a big love.”
However, K-9 Nala was abruptly taken out of service recently by the Nevada Highway Patrol after a non-aggressive nipping incident.
Out of an abundance of caution, Garcia said he promptly reported it and was told Nala would not be taken away from him.
But the tone changed, and Garcia was informed that Nala was going to be taken out of service and placed out for adoption.
Garcia said he made pleas to adopt her but he wasn’t given the option. He said he was told that the state felt there was a liability if they allowed him to adopt her while he was still employed by the department.
According to Garcia, previous handlers in his department have been able to adopt their canines at the end of their time of service. But he was told that this decision was final.
Garcia was ordered to surrender Nala on Jan. 17.
“She dedicated two years of her life working for the state and I felt like she was being shuffled out the back door,” he said.
Garcia said he continued to search for ways to get Nala back and heard she would be sent to Slade Weber, the owner of Desired K-9 Training.
“We spoke on the phone for about 18 minutes, and I relayed my desire to adopt Nala, to bring her home. To my relief, he fully agreed. I thanked him continuously and confirmed we were 100% good to go,” Garcia said.
But just hours before picking Nala up, Weber called and told Garcia he wouldn’t be able to do it.
To make matters worse, Garcia says has been reduced to a desk job after seven years on the force. He says he can’t help but feel betrayed.
“When I took this position, I did so with the intent to work with her for her entire working life and have her retire at home with me. She is very well taken care of and will continue to be,” Garcia said. “She did not deserve to have her world turned upside down and put in the care of someone she had never met before. If the department had no issue adopting her out or placing her somewhere, there is no better place for her to be than in her home with me.”
The NHP issued the following statement regarding the situation:
“The Nevada Department of Public Safety is aware of significant public interest in Nala, one of the department’s working canines. As with all department canines, Nala is a state-funded and highly trained member of our law enforcement family. To improve performance and ensure renewed certification, the department determined canine Nala needed remedial training and other support, including an up-to-date veterinary examination. These steps will help to ensure a long and healthy law enforcement career serving the citizens of Nevada. Canine Nala’s welfare is a priority for the department, and she remains in good health and good hands. This matter is the subject of an internal administrative review, and the Department is unable to provide any further comment or details at this time.”
The greatest of these is love, so I’m guessing he’s dealing with evil people. Not surprised.
That is really screwed up right there.
Amoral bureaucrats. Civil servants and people dressed in gray.
Kinks - 20th Century Man
I despise hired/appointed bureaucrats. They can be worse than elected officials. Bureaucrats can spend a lifetime of giving hell to people and many can’t or won’t be fired nomatter how much they suck at their job.
This is very sad.
If he’s been demoted to a desk job, why can’t he have the K9?
Doesn’t make sense.
Before I retired my coworker’s father was a retired deputy who supervised the K-9 division of Wayne County Sheriffs (Detroit).
One story was the dogs had to be trained to only be really close to the handler in order to stay ready for action and focused.
The other tragic story was a smiling urban teen who grabbed this supervisor’s K-9 dog and slowly slashed her to death painfully to get back at the officer while two accomplices held off retaliation by holding a bystander child until they suddenly all ran. The daughter said no matter how many years passed her father always started to cry when he talked about losing that loved dog.
bttt
Bureaucrats never change, do they? Such a shame. This just doesn’t make sense. I really feel sorry for the poor guy. I’m sure there are many here who know what it’s like to love an animal unconditionally and lose them. Animals feel the loyalty to an owner just the same as the owner feels toward an animal.
The agency announces that the dog is in good health but at the same time they need to do an examination? So do an examination and stop pretending this was a wise decision.
There should be an large outcry with the public supporting the police officer keeping the dog and maybe then the agency will get the point???
“”They can be worse than elected officials.””
Ain’t that the truth?????
Sad, my advice is for the man to find another place to work. I'll bet some good state would be happy to have him. It isn't fair but it is time to cut his losses. The only thing I have regretted in leaving is having stayed too long.
A must see movie about a lady Marine and her K9 in Iraq. It’s been on TV several times and hopefully it will be on more. Probably on Netflix but I don’t have it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npou2409NfA
It never ends with bureaucrats.
My daughter’s best friends husband is a cop. He decided to move to a different state and had to do the police academy again even with several years experience.
A few weeks before graduation he suffered an injury during training that had several months of rehab. They made him start over. He did academy three times. He’s finally back on the streets.
It is not fair at all to have to suffer for principles but that is the way it usually goes if you exercise them. I gave up a very good job once because I would not apologize for something I didn’t do to a person who didn’t deserve the time of day. Just like I’ve said before, there is a reason bearing false witness is a sin. Only time I ever left a job without another job. I don’t think a lot of people these days would even understand.
wheres all the " its not the dog, its the owner" people? by that universal pitbull standard, hes a bad owner.
demoted to desk job because ?? Hes an excellent trooper? - no, hes a P.I.T.A.
I had a similar situation. A dirtbag fellow employee lied about me. I had written proof of the conversation that had occurred months earlier.
My annual review rating somehow went from Excellent to Incompetent in a year. Basically a statistical impossibility.
I was out on “probation” and given no raise. I refused to accept the review in writing until I received actual proof of incompetence beyond my lying dirtbag colleague. Nothing was forthcoming.
Six months later all was well with a 15% raise and another Excellent rating.
My ethics are more important than their opinion
Meanwhile Biden’s dogs are allowed to keep aggressively biting secret service and others.
A lot of dead dogs police have killed were also loved by their owners. Suck it up.
Sounds like someone has it in for Nala and her partner. Sad really.
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